Seasons of Love
by coulsonlivesandfurylies
Summary: As the seasons change, so do David and Jack's relationship. J/D
1. Hard to Believe - Fall

Sitting behind his desk, David couldn't help but feel like he was in a cage. A summer full of freedom made it even harder to go back school.

A sigh escaped Davey's lips. The girl sitting next to him glared at him. He hadn't stopped sighing since class started ten minutes earlier, and had started annoying his neighbors about five minutes after that.

"Sorry," Davey whispered, giving her a placating gesture with one hand.

With a roll of her eyes, she returned to reading her book. That's what Davey should have been doing, but he just couldn't get interested in his story. It was an interesting development, considering English had been his best subject, and the one he paid the most attention in, just last year.

After looking at his book for another minute, David felt his eyes drift towards the window. Another minute passed before he gave his head a harsh shake and turned his head to the clock.

A total of fifteen minutes had passed since class began.

Another frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He felt the boy who sat behind him kick his desk.

"Sorry," he whispered, his voice taking on an annoyed edge. Really, it wasn't his fault. If the kid should be kicking anything it was the clock.

Turning back to the book in his hands, Davey tried to immerse himself in the book.

David could still remember his conversation he had with his father about going back to school. He had tried to convince him that school was pointless at this point, that there were people just as smart as him who possessed even less schooling then he had. His father either hadn't listened or hadn't heard. He had promptly blamed it all on Jack, who had been on his families bad side ever since he had broken up with Sarah.

Well, his parents bad side. Les still admired him just the same, and David knew the truth. He knew that it hadn't been Jack who had broken up with Sarah; that she had done it because she had found someone else. She had promptly begged all of them to lie to their parents. They had agreed, despite their better judgement.

David had been surprised by Jack's reaction to the break up. Davey had expected anger, shouting, maybe even a few tears. But, he hadn't gotten any of that. He had gotten laughter, and jokes.

It had been a month since the breakup, and David still hadn't seen a breakdown. None of the other newsies had seen or heard one, either; not even Spot or Racetrack, the newsies Jack was closest to, next to Davey himself.

Sneaking another look at the clock, Davey groaned at the time that met him. Twenty minutes since class had started, and forty until school finished.

"Jacobs!" Robert hissed. Robert had been his best friend, or as close as David got to a friend, before David met Jack. "Shut it!"

"Sorry!" Davey hissed back.

He had forgotten how much he hated being called by his last name. With the newsies, he was either David, Davey, or the Walking Mouth. At first he hadn't been able to stand the names, but they had grown on him incredibly quickly. He was now at the point where he looked forward to being called by his nicknames.

* * *

David was out of his seat as soon as the bell rang, and the first one out the door of the classroom. Jogging to his locker, he quickly put the combo into the padlock. As soon as the door was open, it was slammed closed again. Looking at the man responsible, he couldn't help but glare at Robert.

"Jacob's, you've been acting strange lately," he said without beating around the bushes. "Have you got a girl?"

"No!" David answered, giving an annoyed shout. "Would you knock it off Duvall?"

"Look, you're the one hanging out with the scum or society," Robert said, raising his hands like he was being arrested. "That's not my fault."

"They aren't the scum," David responded through clenched teeth. He saw hundreds of faces pass in front of his minds eye; Racetrack, Spot, Mush, Kid Blink, Crutchie, and the various other newsies he met just this summer. But, in the front of all of them, is Jack with his smiling face.

"So, why have you been hanging out with all of the sewer rats, Jacobs?" Malone asks, jogging up to stand next to Robert.

Elwin Malone has always been a pain. He was most definitely Robert's right hand man; sure, David had been friends with Duvall, but not with Malone. Now that he had met Jack, he knew why.

David and Malone were the same.

Malone had always been the one behind Duvall's big words. And Malone was willing to do anything for Robert.

Just like how David would do anything for Jack.

Forgetting about his bag and his books, David gave his head a quick shake. He made a move to open his locker, then turned and ran straight for the front doors of the school.

There Jack was, standing by the gates of the school, smiling up at the fall sun.

David smiled as he jogged over to his friend. It was hard to believe, but he and Malone were just alike, just like Duvall was exactly like Jack.

The difference was that Jack batted for the week, while Duvall batted for himself.


	2. During the Snowfall - Winter

"Here," Jack said, roughly shoving a small box into David's hands.

David couldn't help but smile at the small box in his hands. It was wrapped in old newspapers, some of the ones they hadn't been able to sell.

"I thought we agreed not to give each other gifts," David said, smirking at his friend.

"Look, if you don't want it, you don't have to take it," Jack said, reaching for the box and planning on ripping it from his friends hands.

"Oh no, I want it," David replied, his smirk turning into a smile.

* * *

A small frown pulled at David's lips. He had popped into the small bookstore, Solomona & Hart's Books Thin the hopes of finding a gift for Jack. He had never been a fan of shopping for gifts, whether it was for his sister or for his parents. He had never had a hard time shopping for Les, but that was because they spent so much time together. He was much closer to Les then he had ever been to Sarah, and that was even with he and Sarah being so close in age.

Moving towards the westerns, David picked up one of the first ones he saw, a used copy of 'Lin McLean' written by a man named Owen Wister. Looking at the sign on the side of the shelf, he smiled when he saw the price. It would cost him only a days wages, which wouldn't be missed nearly as much now that his father had a job again. They were surprised at how well the job went; his father worked less hours and still was paid around the same per hour. While each of the pennies that David earned helped enormously, his father allowed him to save up some of the change to spend on himself. He almost had five dollars now, and was glad that the book cost only twenty-five cents.

After buying the book for Jack, David left the warmth of the building. As he walked towards his home, he large display caught his eye. Turning towards the window display, he felt a smile pull at his lips. He quickly moved to the door, pulling it open and feeling the heat wash over him.

* * *

A smile pulled at David's lips as he finished wrapping the second gift for Jack. He knew that Jack would be surprised to see that David had bought him two gifts, but he didn't mind. Jack deserved the first gift, and needed the second gift. He hadn't been trying to outdo the other boy, he just wanted to make sure that Jack was taken care of. They had only known each other for half a year now, but he had found that in that time, they had become closer than brothers.

Maybe the fact that they were closer would explain the odd fluttering he felt in his stomach around Jack.

* * *

"Here," David said, smiling at Jack as he handed him the first box. He was holding the box that Jack had given him a week earlier, and had the other gift to Jack tucked inside his coat pocket.

"Do you have yours?" Jack asked, looking down at the package that David had wrapped just like the one Jack had given him, with unsold newspapers.

"Of course I do," David replied, pulling the box from behind his back.

"You open yours first," Jack said, a small smile pulling at his lips.

David nodded quickly. "Let's go somewhere warmer, first," David said. Jack nodded, and they slowly walked towards the cafe where they had met with Denton and the other newsies so many times before. David felt his cheeks heat, but blamed it on the biting cold wind.

It definitely not because as they walked they continued to bump shoulders.

* * *

Sitting at one of the tables, Jack gave David a quick nod. David quickly opened the present, and smiled at the gift. It was the red bandanna that Jack always wore. David hadn't even noticed that Jack hadn't been wearing his lately.

"Thank you," David said, looking up at Jack as he gently unfolded the fabric. He looked at it, gently running his hands over the the black and white lines. He quickly refolded it, then nodded at Jack.

Jack quickly ripped the newspaper off, reminding David of Les on his Birthday. Flipping the book over in his hands Jack smiled at the rough binding. It was obvious that the book was used, but the light in his eyes made it obvious that he didn't care that it was pre-owned.

"Thank's, Davey," Jack said, grinning brightly at his friend.

David nodded, before reaching into his coat pocket and getting the other present out. It was smaller then the book had been, and wrapped in the old newspapers, also.

"Davey," Jack said, his voice taking on a surprised hadn't expected David to get him more then one present, and now he felt like he had let down Davey.

"Don't worry about it," David answered. He nodded, indicating that he should open it. Jack was more careful with this one, taking his time. Once he had removed the layer of paper, he slowly opened the box. Once he had removed the lid, he got a shocked look on his face.

Inside the box was a pair of leather gloves. They had cost David all of the money he had on him, but he knew that it would be worth it.

"I didn't want you to get cold during the snowfall," David said, answering the unasked question.


	3. Romance in the Air - Spring

David was surprised not to see Jack waiting for him outside the school. Ever since he had gone back to school, it had been their ritual.

David was not nervous. He was sure that Jack was fine; really, how likely was it that the boy was lying in some alleyway, beaten and bloody.

Crazy, right?

That's why, after half an hour, David decided to go and look for his friend.

* * *

As David walked around the area by the distribution center, he couldn't help but let his mind wander.

The first thought that he contemplated was why he was so worried about Jack. They were best friends, but not knowing if Jack was alright was currently making David feel ill. He had noticed that lately he found himself worrying more and more about Jack; he often found his thoughts drifting to Jack's safety during school. He couldn't stand that while he was stuck behind a desk, Jack could be in the middle of a brawl with someone.

The next subject David's mind drifted too was how he had been feeling lately around Jack. He had noticed during the winter that he often felt... Well, content, around Jack. Davey felt far more at home selling newspaper with the other boy then he ever had at home. He was even more shocked to find that he preferred to be with Jack instead of at the library, a hobby that David had possessed for as long as he could remember. He felt comfortable around Jack. Davey also noticed that his stomach had started to flutter when he spent time with Jack, a feeling that he knew all to well.

It was exactly the same as he had felt around Martha Rosenbluth in fifth grade.

Martha was one of the few people who were not just well liked by the rest of their class, but also nice to... Well, to the people like David. She was very pretty, her brown hair always in a French braid. She had been funny also; occasionally she would come up with an incredibly sarcastic reply to someone's comment, but not often enough to be an outcast like David, who was always being sarcastic.

In fifth grade, he had possessed a crush on Martha Rosenbluth.

Now, he was having the same reaction in his body around Jack. Well, not the exact same reaction. He had matured since fifth grade.

He was having the same basic reaction, though. The butterflies in his stomach, the blushing easily, the faster the heartbeat, and the heat whenever Jack touched him.

But, that was wrong, wasn't it? Having feelings for another man?

* * *

When David finally found Jack, his fears were confirmed. He was unconscious; a blow to the head is what it looked like to David. He quickly started looking for someone to help.

He found Mush and Blink a few minutes later. Later, when the other two newsies retold the story, they always said that they were sure that Jack was dead because of how David was reacting.

The only thing David remembered was that he felt numb. He felt nothing, thought nothing, heard nothing. All the while that he was numb, though, he was doing everything he could.

"Dear God..." Mush mumbled when they got to the small alleyway that Jack was lying in. He and the other newsies had seen Jack bloodied, but they never got used to it. From the more sensitive newsies, like Snipeshooter and Mush, to the ones hardened from years of living on the street, like Spot and Racetrack. It always was hard to see their leader, the boy who had taken all of them under his wing, hurt or broken.

Mush and Blink moved towards their friend, picking him up carefully as David led the way to his home.

* * *

As the doctor examined Jack, Blink, Mush, David, and David's family were crowded around the small kitchen table.

As soon as David's mother had seen Jack, she quickly sent Sarah and Les to get the families doctor. She had told Blink and Mush to lie Jack on David's bed. The two newsies had been obviously uncomfortable around Esther at first; the only newsies who visited were Jack, Spot, and Racetrack. Every once and a while, Spot and Snipeshooter would visit Les. Mush and Blink, on the other hand, had been invited to visit David's home, but they always turned it down.

David and Blink were standing behind the doctor, watching as he worked. David watched because he wanted to know what was being done, Blink because he didn't trust doctors. Esther was in the small kitchen area, working on dinner, Mush keeping busy and occupied by helping her. Les was sitting with Sarah on the rocking chair, Les trying to hide his tears. Mayer was sitting at the table, silently watching his family and his son's friends.

David was silent. He hadn't spoken since his mother had taken over, far to worried to speak.

He hated this. He hated sitting by, doing nothing, just waiting.

He was scared. He didn't want to loose his best friend, someone who he knew he could trust. He also didn't want to loose someone who he felt might be... More then a friend.

The doctor moved away from the bed, moving towards the table and talking in whispered tones with Mayer. David moved to sit on the bed by Jack's legs. As he sat, he ran his hands through his curly hair.

Esther looked over at her eldest son. She had always sensed that David was close to Jack, but now, even though his face was expressionless, she could see the truth behind his eyes. He seemed... Broken.

She was glad that Mayer had forgiven Jack for not continuing to lead Sarah on. The first time Esther had seen Sarah and Jack together, Jack had seemed distracted. Esther had watched him, and quickly noticed that Jack tended to lean towards David when the three sat together.

Some mothers may have been disgusted; in fact, most mothers would. But, Esther hadn't minded; love was not something that could be defined by gender.

David was holding his head in his hands, not feeling strong enough to hold himself up. Hearing a gasp, he quickly looked up at the bed. Jack's eyes were open, slightly glazed over. David grabbed Jack's hand without thinking, or truly caring.

The doctor made his way over to the bed, giving David a smile that went unnoticed by the boy.

"Welcome back to the land of the conscious," the doctor said, turning his smile on to his patient. "You had quite an argument there, son."

Jack gave a small smile, obviously uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being seen by doctors.

"Welcome back, Cowboy," Mush said, moving to stand by the foot of the bed.

"We were worried about you," Blink said, moving to stand by Mush and giving him a smile. "Had us worried."

Jack gave small smiles to both Mush and Blink, then turned his attention to David.

David was quiet. He didn't seem to dare to talk, afraid to break some sort of spell that had fallen over the group.

"Hey, Davey," Jack said, giving him a big smile.

David surprised everyone by jumping up from where he was sitting on the bed and wrapping his arms around Jack. After a moment, he quickly jumped back. He moved to stand by Blink and Mush; Blink gave him a slap on the back and Mush simply smiled at him.

After the doctor finished talking, David looked around. Mush and Blink had already moved to stand by the side of Jack's bed, smiling down at their friend.

"I'm going to... go get some air," David said. He quickly walked to the fire escape, then made his way up to the roof.

* * *

"You love him, don't you?" Esther asked, sitting by her son on the small bench that looked out on the city.

"Yeah. I do."


	4. Fireworks in the Sky - Summer

David had been surprised when Jack had shown up at the small apartment that the Jacobs' family called home. It was only 6 a.m., and David was surprised to learn that Jack had taken the day off from delivering newspapers.

"Why so early?" David asked as they walked down the street towards Brooklyn. "And what are we going to be doing this early?" He continued.

"I, uh, I talked to Spot a week ago and told him that we would visit him in Brooklyn. I figured, ya know, since it's such a warm summer that we could go swimming. Don't worry, it won't be just the Brooklyn newsies; Racetrack, Blink, and Mush are gonna be there, too."

"Oh," David said, turning his head away from Jack to conseal his blush. He really didn't like how often he found himself blushing around Jack now, but he knew that it couldn't be helped. It was due to his feelings for the newsie; the feelings he had only recently discovered he possessed.

"Yeah. Is that alright? We don't have to; we could go get ice cream or something..."

"No!" David exclaimed. "I mean, no," he said again, this time without the squeak in his voice.

"Right," Jack said, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. He was just as uncomfortable as David, even if the other boy didn't notice.

* * *

"Hey there, Cowboy," Spot said, smiling down on his visitors from above. He moved over to the edge of his 'nest', then climbed down.

Shading his eyes from the sun, David looked up at the leader of the Brooklyn newsies.

"Hey, Spot," Jack replied, looking first at the leader, then at the various other newsies. It was obvious that he was looking for another familiar face, someone like Racetrack.

"Davey," Spot said as he hit the ground. He moved to stand between his two friends, slinging his arms over both boy's shoulders. "You know, Davey, I haven't seen you 'round here much," he said, looking towards David. "I hope you aren't... Afraid, of me. Are you?"

"No," David said. He was telling the truth. He wasn't afraid of the Brooklyn newsies.

"Spot, leave him alone. Davey's been busy. He's going to school," Jack said, lightly nudging Spot with his shoulder. David thought that he heard a sense of pride in his friends voice.

"Davey!" A familiar voice exclaimed as they got closer to the water.

"Hey, Racetrack," David replied, smiling at the boy. The gambler was already in the water, but was now climbing out with one of the nets that was on the side of the dock. "Hey Cowboy. Think you guys are late enough?" Racetrack asked once he was on the dock, looking at the older boy.

"Sorry, Race. Took a while to convince Davey here to get out of bed.

David gave Jack a light punch in the shoulder in response to his comment. What started as a simple punch quickly became a wrestling match, one that only ended because Jack fell into the water.

"Haha! He got ya good, Jacky Boy!" Race track exclaimed, bending over in laughter.

David quickly took off his top layers of clothing, leaving himself in just his white underpants. After folding his clothing up carefully, he dived into the water.

* * *

"So... Did ya have a good day?" Jack asked as the two boys walked by the statue . They had decided it was time to go when David noticed that the sun was starting to go down, knowing that they would need to get back to their neighborhood before nightfall.

"Yeah," David answered, looking towards Jack with a smile on his face. "Yeah, I did. I forgot how much fun it was to swim. It's been forever since I've been in the water."

Suddenly, David was being tugged into an alley by his friend. Looking into his friends eyes, he saw a familiar emotion reflected in the brown pools.

It was an emotion that he often felt himself.

"Look, Davey, I've been thinking about this for a while," Jack said, breaking eye contact with his friend. Instead of looking at David, Jack was looking anywhere but David. "I, uh," he paused again, obviously not comfortable with the thoughts running through his head.

"Jack," David said slowly, tapping Cowboy on the shoulder. "What have you been thinking about?"

Without looking at the other boy, Jack whispered his answer.

"You."

* * *

"David, how was your day?" Esther asked over dinner that night.

"Alright," David answered, giving a casual shrug.

Nobody was fooled.

* * *

A.N.

* * *

I feel that this was somewhat anti-climactic. I'm sorry if this disappointed you. I was hoping to go for a more implied ending; one that leaves what happened in the alleyway to your imagination.

Now, for a handful of mentions!

**Elisabeth Harker = **One of the two reviews I got before publishing this final installment! She is currently writing a Newsies story also, and one I can highly recommend. So, go read her story 'New Days' Resolutions'!

**shinigami nanoda = **Second of my two reviewers! She has written several Newsies stories for all kinds of pairings. Lots of Spot/Race, but also a handful of Jack/David stories.

**Brooke = **The first of a handful of people I actually now. Brooke is actually the one who kicked my butt into gear with this last chapter. We were talking about the Newsies this afternoon, and how we'd love to re-write the movie and make it even more homoerotic. Then I recalled that I have a chance to do so!

**Emma = **My other real life friend, Emma, is my grammar-nazi-by-proxy. She's the one I use big words around, and the way I wrote this story is very much the way we carry on our conversations.

**Peek-a-Boo = **My loyal best friend, and the only one who walks on four legs. My furry little mascot was silently, and sometimes not so quietly, cheering me on.

So, thanks to all of these people! I have only given them a small mention in comparison to the large role they played in getting this last chapter up! Also, thanks to you; the reader.


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